Container assembly and bottom cap therefor

ABSTRACT

There is provided a container having a container with open end, and a bottom cap has a sealant material bonded thereto to provide a hermetic seal between the bottom cap and the open bottom of the container and a grip surface through or slightly beyond the exterior surface of the bottom cap to contact a substrate, such as a table.

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority in, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/390,961, filed Mar. 18, 2003 and issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,159, which was a continuation of, and claimedpriority in, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/665,779, filed Sep. 20,2000 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,135, which was a division of, andclaimed priority in, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/175,086, filedOct. 19, 1998 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,325, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a container having an open bottom, anda bottom cap for closing and hermetically sealing the open bottom. Moreparticularly, the present invention is directed to such a container andbottom cap in which the bottom cap has a sealant material bonded theretofor forming the hermetic seal.

Containers having integral bottoms or bottom walls are well known.However, such containers can be problematic, especially elongated and/ornarrow diameter containers whose remote portions are difficult to reachand effectively clean. In an effort to alleviate this problem, suchcontainers, for example bottles and cups for feeding babies, have beenformed as a container assembly having a body with an open bottom, and aremovable bottom cap, to allow easy access to and separate and thoroughcleaning of each component. These container assemblies require ahermetic seal between the open bottom of the container and the bottomcap. The hermetic seal has been obtained by employing a sealingstructure, such as an annular ring seal, that is separate and removablefrom the other assembly components. However, employing a separatesealing structure renders the container assembly more complicated toassemble and, thus, use. If it is not removed and cleaned, there is thepossibility that undesirable matter, e.g. liquid, food, and the likewill accumulate or form between the separate sealing structure and itsunderlying surface.

It is desired to have a sealing system for a container assembly with aremovable bottom cap that overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hermetic sealingsystem for a container assembly having a container with a removablebottom cap.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a sealingsystem in which the sealant is bonded to the bottom cap of the containerassembly.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such acontainer assembly in which the sealant in the bottom cap provides thehermetic seal between the bottom cap and the container.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide analternative sealant that is secured to the container to provide ahermetic seal between the bottom cap and the container.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such acontainer assembly in which the bottom cap has a sealant material bondedthereto for providing a hermetic seal between the bottom cap and theopen bottom of the container and, simultaneously provides a grip surfacethrough or slightly beyond the exterior surface of the bottom cap tocontact a substrate, such as a table.

The present invention includes a bottom cap for closing and hermeticallysealing the open bottom end of a container. The bottom cap includes abottom wall having a peripheral portion, a side wall extending upwardlyfrom the peripheral portion and means for securing the bottom cap to theopen bottom end of the container. The peripheral portion includes aperipheral continuous, preferably annular, layer of sealant materialbonded thereto that is adapted to hermetically seal the bottom end ofthe container when the bottom cap is secured thereto.

The present invention also includes a container assembly comprised of acontainer having an open bottom end with a downwardly directed sealingsurface, means for securing a bottom cap to the open bottom end, abottom cap, and a continuous, preferably annular, layer or strip ofcompressible sealant material bonded to the container assembly. Thestrip is adapted so that when the bottom cap is secured to the openbottom end, the strip is between the sealing surface and the bottomwall, and the sealing surface compresses the strip against the bottomwall thereby forming a hermetic seal between the container and thebottom cap. In the container assembly, the strip is preferably bonded tothe interior surface of the bottom wall of the bottom cap.

Also preferably, the peripheral portion of the bottom cap has holestherethrough and the sealant material extends into and slightly throughthe holes. The sealant material that extends into the holes preferablyextends below the bottom surface of the bottom wall of each hole, whereit can be in the form of an individual bead below each hole. Each beadpreferably has a peripheral edge that underlies and is bonded to thebottom surface of the bottom wall. Also preferably, the peripheralportion has an annular series of circumferentially spaced holestherethrough, and the sealant material of the strip extends through andbelow the holes, and is in the form of a continuous, preferably annular,layer that is fused to the bottom surface of the peripheral portion.

The present invention also includes a method of forming the bottom capof the present invention. The method includes forming the bottom cap ofa first material, and injecting a sealant material onto the peripheralportion of the bottom cap so that the sealant material forms an annularlayer on the peripheral portion. The injection step is effected at atemperature and under conditions sufficient to fuse the layer of sealantmaterial to the peripheral portion. The forming step preferably includesforming an annular series of circumferentially spaced holes through theperipheral portion of the bottom wall, and the injecting step preferablyincludes flowing the sealant material through and below the holes sothat the sealant material below the holes forms either a series of beadsor an underlying annular layer that is fused to the bottom surface ofthe bottom wall. Preferably, the underlying layer is formed so that ithas outer edges that underlie the bottom wall adjacent the holes. In themethod, the bottom cap is preferably polypropylene, and the sealantmaterial is preferably a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore AHardness from about 40 to about 50.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a container assembly of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the container body of thecontainer assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section, with portions broken away, of the openbottom end of the container body of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, with portions broken away, of thebottom end of the container assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, with portions brokenaway, of the lower left portion of the container assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, with portions brokenaway, of an alternate embodiment of the container assembly of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the bottom cap of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the preferred bottomcap of FIG. 6, as seen along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8A is an enlarged vertical sectional view, with portions brokenaway, of a portion of a bottom cap having a bead on the bottom thereof;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view, with portions broken away, of the bottomcap of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9A is a bottom plan view, with portions broken away, of a bottomcap having beads on the bottom thereof;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view through alternate embodiment of thebottom cap of the present invention, shown without a sealant material;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of a lower right portion of thebottom cap of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view, with portions broken away, of the bottom capof FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view, with portions broken away, of the bottomcap of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing method steps of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, there is showna preferred container assembly of the present invention, generallyrepresented by the reference number 10. The container assembly 10includes a container 20, and a bottom cap 50 removably secured to thecontainer.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, container 20 has a body 22 having an openbottom end or portion 24. The bottom end 24 preferably has a cylindricalneck 26, a downwardly directed sealing surface 28, and structure, suchas, for example, an external thread 30, for securing bottom cap 50 tocontainer body 22 and, thus, container 20. The sealing surface 28 has arim 32 that defines a bottom opening 34. Preferably, bottom opening 34is a wide mouth opening.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show bottom cap 50 closing and hermetically sealing bottomend 24 of container body 22. The bottom cap 50, also shown in FIG. 8, isa preferred embodiment of the bottom cap of the present invention. Thebottom cap 50 has a bottom wall 52 with a bottom surface 53 and aperipheral portion 54, and an upwardly extending side wall, here shownas cylindrical peripheral wall 56. The wall 56 has structure, such as,for example, an internal thread 58 that is adapted to be threadedlyengage threads 30 to secure bottom cap 50 to neck 26 of container body22. The bottom cap 50 also has a peripheral, continuous annular strip orlayer of sealant material 60 bonded to peripheral portion 54 of bottomwall 52. As more clearly shown in FIG. 5, when bottom cap 50 isthreadedly secured to bottom end 24 of container body 22, sealingsurface 28 of neck 26 engages and compresses strip 60, thereby forming ahermetic seal between sealing surface 28 and bottom wall 52.

Preferably, peripheral portion 54 of bottom wall 52 has an annularseries of circumferentially spaced openings or holes 70 therethrough,and strip 60 extends into and through and preferably protrudes belowholes 70 in bottom surface 53 of bottom wall 52. The sealant material ofsealant material strip 60 in each hole 70 is referred to as a post 61.As shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the portion of the post 61 that protrudesbelow holes 70 can be in the form of an individual bead 63 below eachhole. The bead 63 preferably has a peripheral edge 64 that underlies andpreferably is bonded to bottom surface 53 adjacent each hole 70. Theedges 64 of beads 63 are advantageous because they form at least amechanical, and preferably a bonded, interlock between the underlyingedges and the exterior of bottom surface 53 of bottom wall 52. Thishelps prevent or prevents strip 60 from being removed from bottom wall52.

Alternatively, post 61 of strip 60 that extends through hole 70communicates with an underlying continuous, preferably annular, strip orlayer of the sealant material 62 below and preferably bonded to bottomsurface 53 of bottom wall 52. The underlying layer 62, like each bead63, also preferably has side edges 64 that underlie and preferably arebonded to bottom surface 53 of bottom wall 52 adjacent holes 70.

As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of beads (not shown) in series may forma continuous or discontinuous layer or, more preferably, the underlyinglayer 62 of sealant material. The beads individually, discontinuous,continuously, or the underlying layer 62 of sealant material (shown inFIG. 9), are advantageous because they form a grip or non-slip,non-scratch surface on a support surface, such as a table top (notshown). Also, FIG. 9 shows that continuous underlying layer 62 has sideedges 64 that underlie and preferably are bonded to bottom surface 53 ofbottom wall 52.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 8 show that strip 60 preferably is positioned such that aportion of it fills and is bonded to the junction of or a portion of thejunction of bottom wall 52 and side wall 56 of bottom cap 50. The strip60 preferably is bonded to a portion of side wall 56. The junction ofbottom wall 52 and side wall 56 can be any suitable shape. For example,it can have a step therein as shown in the preferred bottom cap 50 ofFIGS. 5 and 8, it can be angular (not shown), or it can be curved, asshown in the alternative bottom cap 50′ in FIGS. 6 and 10.

FIG. 6 shows a bottom portion of an alternative embodiment of acontainer assembly 10′ of the present invention cap, generallyrepresented by the reference number 10′. Structure or elements that aresimilar to or the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 and 7 through9 are identified by the same reference number with a prime. Moreparticularly, FIG. 6 shows alternative bottom cap 50′ (also shown inFIG. 10) secured to, closing and hermetically sealing the open bottomend 24′ of container body 22′. FIGS. 6 and 10 show that the junction ofbottom wall 52′ and side wall 56′ is curved, and the portion of annularstrip or layer 60′ above bottom wall 52′ is wider and thinner than layer60 of bottom cap 50 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 8). FIGS. 6 and 10 also show thatsealing surface 28′ of neck 26′ of bottom end 24′ is wider than sealingsurface 28 of FIG. 5. The sealing surface 28′ compresses a wider extentof layer 60′ than sealing surface 28 compresses of layer 60 in FIG. 5.As seen in FIG. 6, hole 70′ in bottom wall 52′ is defined by sidewall orcircumferential surface 100. Sidewall 100 is substantially perpendicularor orthogonal to bottom surface 53′ and parallel to the longitudinalaxis of cup body 22. Sidewall 100 and bottom surface 53′ are joined anddefine an edge 150. Layer 60′ is secured to bottom wall 52′ alongsidewall 100 and along a portion of bottom surface 53′ such that layer60′ overlays edge 150.

FIG. 7 shows that layer 60, bonded to the upper surface of peripheralportion 54 of bottom wall 52, is annular and continuous and has sideedges that overlie and are bonded to the upper surface of the peripheralportion. FIG. 7 also shows the annular series of circumferentiallyspaced holes 70 and posts 61 therein.

FIG. 8 shows a preferred vertical cross-sectional profile of layer 60,post 61 and layer 62 of bottom cap 50 when layer 60 is not compressed bya sealing surface of an open bottom end of the container.

FIG. 10 shows the alternative bottom cap 50′ of the present inventionthat was discussed above in connection with FIG. 6. FIG. 10 shows thatthe central portion of bottom wall 52′ of bottom cap 50′ is preferablyconcave when viewed from the bottom, most or all of peripheral portion54′, especially its outer peripheral portion, is substantially planarand substantially horizontal, and peripheral portion 54′ communicateswith side wall 56′ through a junction that is concavely arcuate whenviewed from the inside of bottom cap 50′. The concave shape of thecentral portion of bottom wall 52′ adds strength to the bottom wall. Thesubstantially planar and horizontal disposition of peripheral portion54′ and the shape of the junction and proximity of side wall 56′ toperipheral portion 54′ assist in locating and forming annular continuousperipheral layer 60′ of sealant material on peripheral portion 54′.

FIG. 11 shows that each hole 70′ preferably has an annular undercut 72′thereabout to facilitate formation of the hole. The undercut 72′ alsofacilitates the flow of sealant material from hole 72′ to underlyingportions of bottom surface 53′ adjacent holes 70′ in bottom wall 52′.FIG. 12 shows annular series of holes 70′ formed about peripheralportion 54′ of bottom wall 52′, and FIG. 13 shows an undercut 72′ inbottom surface 53′ about each hole 70′ in bottom wall 52′. As seen inFIG. 11, hole 70′ in bottom wall 52′ is defined by sidewall orcircumferential surface 100′. Sidewall 100′ is substantiallyperpendicular or orthogonal to bottom surface 53′ and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of cup body 22. Undercut 72′ and bottom surface 53′define a first edge 150′. Sidewall 100′ and undercut 72′ define a secondedge 175. Layer 60′ is secured to bottom wall 52′ along sidewall 100′,along undercut 72′ and along a portion of bottom surface 53′ such thatlayer 60′ overlays first edge 150′ and second edge 175. Since undercut72′ is annular, first and second edges 150′ and 175 are equidistantlyspaced apart.

According to the present invention, the hermetic seal effected betweenbottom end 24 and bottom caps 50, 50′ can be effected in any suitablemanner or location, provided the sealant material is bonded topreferably to bottom cap 24, or alternatively to the bottom of neck 26.When bottom cap 50, 50′ is secured to bottom end 24, the sealantmaterial will be disposed or located between and compressed to form ahermetic seal between a sealing surface 28, 28′ of bottom end 24, 24′,respectively, and an opposed sealing surface, e.g. bottom wall 52, 52′of bottom cap 50, 50′, respectively. Thus, a sealant material insuitable form can be bonded to a portion of either bottom end 24 orbottom cap 50, 50′. Although not preferred, a strip, layer or othersuitable form, e.g. an annular ring of sealant material, can be bondedto the sealing surface 28 of bottom end 24.

Container 20, 20′ and bottom cap 50, 50′ can be made of any suitablerigid or substantially rigid material that retains its shape, and can besterilized, washed or cleaned, especially at elevated temperatures.Although glass or metal can be employed, rigid or substantially rigidplastics, polyesters, polyamides, polyolefins, polamides,polycarbonates, polyacrylates and polyurethanes and the like arepreferred.

When container 20, 20′ is for forming a container assembly for holdingmilk or another infant liquid product, the preferred material forforming container body 22, 22′ is a polyolefin. The polyolefin is, forexample, an ethylene or propylene polymer such as polypropylene, or,more preferably, a polycarbonate.

The bottom cap 50, 50′ preferably is made of a polyolefin, for example,a propylene or ethylene polymer or copolymer, or combination of thesame. Although ethylene polymers, such as high density polyethylene, canbe employed, the preferred material for bottom cap 50, 50′ ispolypropylene.

The sealant materials for layer 60, 60′ and the like suitable for use inthe present invention are compressible during use such that when bottomcap 50 is secured, preferably threadedly secured, to open bottom end 24,24′, the sealing surface will compress layer 60, 60′ and form a hermeticseal therewith.

The sealant material suitable for use in the present invention iscompressible and must be bondable, preferably directly, to the materialof the substrate or structure, e.g. to bottom cap 50 or container body22 to which the sealant material is applied. Suitable sealant materialsinclude silicones, urethanes and elastomers. The preferred elastomersare thermoplastic elastomers, sometimes referred to as “TPEs”.

Suitable sealant materials for layer 60, 60′ include those preferablyhaving a Shore A Hardness from about 30 to about 60, more preferablyfrom about 40 to about 50, and most preferably about 45. The hardnessvalues described or recited herein are obtained by use of a durometer.Sealant materials having a Shore A Hardness progressively above about 60and particularly approaching 100 would be expected to be too hard andinflexible to be compressed to form a hermetic seal, and materialshaving a Shore A Hardness progressively below about 30 would be expectedto be progressively too soft and tacky to form durable practicallyoperable hermetic seals.

According to the present invention, the bond of the sealant material tothe surface or structure of, for example, bottom end 24 or bottom cap50, can be effected in any suitable manner by any suitable means, solong as the bonded sealant material is integral or unitary with thesurface or structure to which it is bonded. “Integral or unitary” meansthat the sealant material is one with or a unit with the surface orstructure so that dirt, food, liquid or other matter cannot accumulate,form or otherwise get or be between the sealant material and the surfaceor structure. As will be more fully explained below, the preferred bondis obtained by fusion between the sealant material and the material ofthe substrate surface or structure. Though less preferred, bonding canbe achieved by use of one or more adherents, blended with the sealantmaterial and/or employed as one or more layers between the sealantmaterial and the surface or structure. The adherent must be compatiblewith and must integrally or unitarily bond to, the sealant material andthe surface or structure to, on or against which the sealant materialand/or adherent is bonded. It is understood that the sealant materialand any adherent must be suitable for the intended application for thecontainer assembly or bottom cap. For example, for a container assemblyand bottom cap that will be subjected to sterilization or washing atelevated temperatures, or cleaned with certain chemicals, the sealantmaterial and the adherent(s) must maintain a sufficient bond under thoseconditions.

The present invention includes methods of forming bottom cap 50. Themethod includes forming bottom cap 50 of a first material by a moldingprocess effected at an elevated temperature. As shown in FIG. 14,preferably the material for forming bottom cap 50 is injected into amold shaped to form the desired bottom cap, with bottom havingperipheral portion or wall 53, an upstanding threaded side wall 56, and,preferably an annular series of circumferentially spaced holes 70through the bottom. Once formed, bottom cap 50 can be left in the moldif the injection system and mold assembly are adapted to inject and formlayer 60, 60′ on the bottom wall. Preferably, bottom cap 50 is removedto another mold where its elevated temperature is maintained, or thebottom cap is reheated to the desired elevated temperature. In thesecond mold, sealant material to form layer 60 is injected onto bottomcap 50, preferably onto the upper surface of its peripheral portion, toform layer 60 thereon. The sealant material is injected at a temperatureand under conditions sufficient to bond, preferably fuse, the sealantmaterial to the bottom wall. During injection of the sealant material,the temperature of the bottom wall is such that bottom cap 50 is rigidenough to maintain its body and shape, yet soft enough to bond to thesealant material. The bottom cap 50 with the sealant material thereonmay need to be left in the mold at an elevated temperature sufficient toeffect the bonding. When the bottom wall includes the annular series ofspaced holes 70, the molds are adapted, and the injection of the sealantmaterial includes flowing the material through and preferably below theholes, so that the sealant material below the holes has the desiredshape and configuration and preferably is bonded to the bottom surfaceof the bottom wall. Preferably, the forming process is adapted so thatany sealant material below the holes, whether in the form of beads orthe preferred annular layer, has outer edges that underlie and arebonded to the bottom surface. Preferably, the first injected material toform bottom cap 50 is polypropylene and the second injected material toform the sealant layer is a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore AHardness of from about 40 to about 50.

The present invention having been thus described with particularreference to the preferred forms thereof, it will be obvious thatvarious changes and modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit and the scope of the present invention as defined in theappended claims.

1. A container assembly comprising: a container body having an upperopen end and a lower open end, said upper open end having an upper neck,said lower open end having a lower neck with a rim, said upper neckhaving a first securing structure, said lower neck having a secondsecuring structure; a bottom cap having a bottom wall and a side wall,said bottom wall having a central portion, a peripheral portion, anoutside bottom surface, and a plurality of holes disposed completelythrough said bottom wall, said central portion being surrounded by saidperipheral portion and recessed towards said upper open end, said sidewall extending upwardly from said peripheral portion, said side wallhaving a third securing structure that removably engages with saidsecond securing structure for securing said bottom cap to said containerbody; and a sealing member being disposed between said rim of said lowerneck and said bottom cap when said bottom cap is connected to saidcontainer body, wherein said bottom cap is made of a first material,said sealing member is made of a second material, and said secondmaterial is flexible, and wherein said sealing member extends throughsaid plurality of holes and protrudes below said outside bottom surfaceadjacent said plurality of holes and seals said plurality of holes. 2.The container assembly of claim 1, wherein said peripheral portion issubstantially flat.
 3. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein saidfirst and second securing structures are threads, wherein said side wallhas a surface, and wherein said third securing structure is threadsformed on said surface of said side wall.
 4. The container assembly ofclaim 1, wherein said second material has a Shore A Hardness about 30 toabout
 60. 5. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein said centralportion has a dome-like shape.
 6. The container assembly of claim 1,wherein said container body has a first outer surface above said lowerneck, wherein said side wall has a second outer surface, and whereinsaid first outer surface is substantially contiguous with said secondouter surface when said bottom cap is connected to said container body.7. The container assembly of claim 6, wherein said side wall comprisesan inner wall, an outer wall and a space therebetween.
 8. The containerassembly of claim 1, wherein said container body has a first outerdiameter, wherein said upper neck has a second outer diameter, whereinsaid lower neck has a third outer diameter, and wherein said first outerdiameter is larger than said second and third outer diameters.
 9. Thecontainer assembly of claim 1, wherein said bottom cap has a centerpoint, and wherein said plurality of holes is arranged in a circularpattern that is concentrically aligned with said center point of saidbottom cap.
 10. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein said rim hasan inwardly extending flange.
 11. The container assembly of claim 10,wherein said flange is orthogonal to said side wall.
 12. The containerassembly of claim 1, wherein said sealing member has an upper surfaceand a lower surface, and wherein said upper and lower surfaces of saidsealing member are non-planar.
 13. The container assembly of claim 1,wherein said plurality of holes are substantially equi-distantly spacedapart.
 14. A container assembly comprising: a container body having anupper open end and a lower open end, said upper open end having an upperneck of reduced diameter, said lower open end having a lower neck ofreduced diameter, said lower neck having a rim, said upper neck havingfirst threads, said lower neck having second threads; a bottom caphaving a bottom wall and a side wall, said bottom wall having a centralportion, a peripheral portion, an outside bottom surface and a pluralityof holes disposed completely through said bottom wall, said centralportion being surrounded by said peripheral portion and recessed towardssaid upper open end, said side wall extending upwardly from saidperipheral portion, said side wall having third threads that removablyconnect with said second threads for securing said bottom cap to saidcontainer body; and a sealing member being disposed between said rim ofsaid lower neck and said bottom cap when said bottom cap is connected tosaid container body, wherein said sealing member covers said pluralityof holes and is flexible, wherein said sealing member is positionedthrough said plurality of holes, wherein said bottom cap is made of afirst material and said sealing member is made of a second material,wherein a portion of the sealing member extends below said outsidebottom surface adjacent said plurality of holes, wherein the containerassembly rests on the sealing member when standing up.
 15. The containerassembly of claim 14, wherein said second material has a Shore AHardness about 30 to about
 60. 16. The container assembly of claim 14,wherein said bottom cap has a center point, and wherein said pluralityof holes is arranged in a circular pattern that is concentricallyaligned with said center point of said bottom cap.
 17. The containerassembly of claim 14, wherein said sealing member has an upper surfaceand a lower surface, and wherein said upper and lower surfaces of saidsealing member are non-planar.
 18. The container assembly of claim 14,wherein said plurality of holes are substantially equidistantly spacedapart.
 19. A container assembly comprising: a container body having anupper open end and a lower open end, the upper open end having an upperneck with first threads, the lower open end having a lower neck withsecond threads; a bottom cap having side and bottom walls and anelastomeric member, the bottom wall having top and bottom surfaces, thebottom wall having a plurality of holes disposed completely through thebottom wall, the side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, theside wall having third threads that removably connect with the secondthreads for securing the bottom cap to the container body, theelastomeric member being bonded to at least a portion of the top andbottom surfaces of the bottom wall, the elastomeric member beingpositioned through the plurality of holes, a portion of the elastomericmember extending below the bottom surface of the bottom wall adjacentthe plurality of holes, wherein the container assembly rests on theelastomeric member when standing up.
 20. The container assembly of claim19, wherein said bottom cap is formed by a process of molding the bottomwall and molding the elastomeric member onto the bottom wall.
 21. Thecontainer assembly of claim 19, wherein the bottom cap has a centerpoint, and wherein the plurality of holes is arranged in a circularpattern that is concentrically aligned with the center point of thebottom cap.
 22. The container assembly of claim 19, wherein theplurality of holes are substantially equidistantly spaced apart.
 23. Thecontainer assembly of claim 19, wherein the portion of the elastomericmember extending below the bottom surface of the bottom wall forms adiscontinuous gripping layer.
 24. The container assembly of claim 19,wherein the portion of the elastomeric member extending below the bottomsurface of the bottom wall forms a continuous gripping layer.
 25. Acontainer assembly comprising: a container body having an upper open endand a lower open end opposite said upper open end, said lower open endhaving a lower neck with a rim, said lower neck having first threads; abottom cap having a bottom wall, a side wall extending upwardly from thebottom wall, and a sealant material, the side wall having second threadsthat removably connect with the first threads, said sealant materialextending through a plurality of holes through said bottom wall, whereinsaid sealant material protrudes below and above said bottom walladjacent the plurality of holes.
 26. The container of claim 25, whereinsaid sealant material is bonded to an upper surface of a peripheralportion of said bottom wall.
 27. The container of claim 26, wherein saidsealant material is a continuous annular strip and has side edges thatoverlie and are bonded to said upper surface of said peripheral portion.28. The container of claim 25, wherein said sealant material has one ormore side edges that underlie and are bonded to said bottom surface ofsaid bottom wall.
 29. The container of claim 28, wherein said sealantmaterial is discontinuous or continuously to form a grip or non-slip,non-scratch surface on a support surface.